Electrical cord take-up device



ATTORNEY Nov. 22, 1932. n. L. BETTINGER ELECTRICAL CORD TAKE-UP DEVICEFiled Deo. 16, 1930 Patented Nov. 22, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEELECTRICAL conn 'rm-ur Dnvrcn .Application led December 16, 1930.Serial. No. 502,756.

My invention relatesin general Ato household utilities and in particularto 'a tensioning device for use in conjunction with electricalappliances, the principal object being 'to always keep the electricalcord through which current is supplied to the electrical appliance taut,thereby eliminatingv entanglement of the appliance with the cord oroperator; unnecessary wear on the insulation whereby the current mightbe shorted; and also obviating the vexations arising in general from aloose dangling cord.

The device is especially adapted for use in connection with electricirons, Hoor lamps, and electrical vacuum cleaners. There has been a keendemand for such a contrivance, wherein is achieved the absorbing of the.slack when reverse movements are made in the operation of ironing,lighting, and sweeping as mentioned supra.

A further important object of the invention is in the incorporation ofmeans for making` electrical contact between thev stationary cord andthe conductors wound on the reel.

A still further object of the invention resides in its peculiaradaptability of design whereby it may he readily applied to an ironingboard. iioor lamp, and an electric sweeper.

Other features of moment reside in the mechanical details wherein iscontributed novelty of design and invention.

Still other distinguishing novel 'characteristics will be maniest as thedisclosure follows.

In the accompanying drawing is shown a preferred embodiment of theinvention as well as adaptations illustrating its potential use.

The views insaid drawing comprise:

A Fig. 1 illustrating in perspective one application of the inventionfor use with an electric iron;

A Fig. 2 illustrating in perspective one adaptation of the invention foruse with an electric vacuum cleaner;

A Fig. 3 illustrating in perspective the invention apart from itsattaching means;

A Fig. 4 showing a section taken on the 50 line 4-4 of Fig. 3, and inrelation thereto a section through the attaching means where the deviceis applied to a vacuum cleaner;

A Fig. 5 showing a left hand elevationr of the attaching means shown inFig. 4.

A Figy showing a fragmentary side elevation of the device toparticularly illustrate the adjustable clamping element for attachingthe device to an ironing board; and,

A Fig. 7 illustrating in perspective the sheave bearing. The inventionas illustrated is shown applied to an ironing board (1) in Fig. 1, andto an electric vacuum cleaner (2) in Fig. 2.

Broadly the .principles of adaptation of the device for one use isgeneric to the ape5 plication of the device for the other use and is tobe so understood.

The device comprises in combination an implement 3, a sheave 4, havingencased therewith a iiat coil retractile spring 5, ball-bearinglymounted upon a circular bearing 6 to which an end Vof said spring is'fastened; means for making electrical contact between the stationarycord and the conductors wound on the reel 7 adapted to have a source otelectric current pass therethrough, means for connectingsaid switch inseries and attaching means whereby the device may be fastened forutilization.

The implement 3 consists of abase portion 8 substantially V-shaped, thevertex of whose angle 9 is rounded in nature and which eX- tendsthroughout the length of the base portion. The implement simulates to acertain B5 degree an andiron, the base portion as before referred tobeing somewhat lower with relation to the front portion in thepresent'design.

Extending upwardly at right angles from l one end of said base portionis a; frontfportion 10,- the terminus of which is provided with an 'eye11 through which an electric cord 12 is adapted to play. The baseportion 8 is provided with feet 13 at one end into which rubber shoes,14, are insertable and the front portion is also congurated into feet 15provided with similar' receptacles into which like rubber shoes 16 arealso insertable. The base portion is rounded as aforesaid so -that itmay be coniigurated to the handle 17 of a vacuum'y cleaner and there areprovided to aid in supporting the device to an ironing board. A

The V-groove has an elastic liner 23, and

a clamp 20 likewise has an adjustable elastic seat 24, both of which aidin gripping 'and preventing abrasion of the -device when coupled to thehandle of a vacuum cleaner.

Extending transversely/with the front portion 10 is an arm 25. said armhas a downwardly-directed portion 26 Yinto which the fed into therace.

electrical terminals 27 and 28 are projected, and on the inside face ofsaid downwardly directed portion is integralized the disc cap 29. At theaxial center of said disccap is mounted the-circular bearing 6, thespindle 30 .of said bearing extending through said disc cap 29 and intosaid arm 25 wherein it is housed and to which it is secured by a pin 31.

The circular bearing 6 has in addition to the spindle 30 a circularflange 32 which is provided with an external circumferential chamfer 33whereon the sheave 4 is ballbearingly mounted. In line of the axis ofthe spindle 30 adjacent the circular flange 32 is continued a roundedportion 34 and into the latter recited portion is cut a slot 35 intoVwhich one end of the fastened.

` As aforesaid the sheave 4 is mounted torotate upon ball bearings onbearing 6. To provide for a ball bearing seat in the sheave in which theballs 36 may travel, there is provided an internal circumferentialchamfer 37, similar to the external circumferential chamfer in thecircular bearing 6. r

The balls 36 are fed into the race 38 after the assembly of the, sheaveand bearing through a slot 39 which is later plugged up or welded.

0n one face of the sheave is encased the coil spring 5, one end asaforesaid being securelv fastened in the slot 35, the other end of saidspring is fastened to the casing 41 by a screw 42; the casing 41 beingin turn coil spring 5 is securely secured to the sheave bv a screw 43.The

spring 5 is first secured in the casing 41 by screws 42. 'and after thecasing is applied to the sheave. the other end of the spring is fastenedto the bearing. The balls are then Upon the other face of the sheave ismounted a fiber or insulative circular disc 43a b v means of screws 44,there being first applied to said disc 43a, a pair of annular electricalconductor rings 44a and 45, b y means of screws 46 and 47.

Said rings 44a and 45 form in conjunction,

with the electrical terminals 27 and 28 means for transmittingcurrentfromthe terminals 27 and 28 to the terminal wires 48 and 49 [of theelectrical take up cord 12 wound around the sheave 4. As the cord isunwound from `the sheave against'the opposition of the spring Aor' uponthe sheave as a result of the tension stored up in the spring by theunwinding of the cord, current will be supplied to said means from theterminls 27 and 28 as a result of the brushes 50 and 51 being acted uponby the springs 52 and 53 housedin said terminals and bearingthereagainst.

The assembled parts hereinbefore enumerated are joined 31inter-connecting the implement with the bearing in such a manner thatelectric current will always be transmitted from one terminal toanother; and so that the sheave will be rotative upon the bearing as theelectric cord is manually manipulated in the unwinding or automaticallyoperated in the rewinding against and under the action of the spring forthe purpose specified supra;v e Dual attaching means are provided on theimplement whereby the device is attachable both to an ironing board asshown in Fig. 1 or a vacuum cleaner as shown in Fig. 2 as previouslypointed out, i. e., grips 18-for the claws 19, and-pin grips 21 for theclamping .element 22.

The clamping element "22 includes a U,

Amay be manually ,adjusted to accommodate itself to ironing boards ofdifferent thicknesses.

The bearing andshoe insert being pivoted` in unison by means of the pin-Extending through the arms formto the link, and the frame being pivotedto f the implement and link, provide a unique gripping arrangement sothat proper grippage of the device to an ironing board is assured as theh'andle of the link is manually manipulated to exert pressure on theinsert against the bottom face of the ironing board.

The .clamp 20 includes a vided with inturned claws 19. Said arms areadapted" to pass. astride the implement and adapted to overlie the grips18. They cooperate with the saddle 63 into which is applied the seat 24to grip the device to the handle of a vacuum cleaner as the'screw 62engageable with both the clamp and the saddle is manually manipulated toexert pressure both between the base of -the implement and the handle,and between the saddle and the handle, thereby serving as a uniquemountpair of arms prok cleaner for the purpose specified.

ing means, a stationary conductor detachably applied thereto, said armhaving formed therewith a circular cap, a bearing contain-l ing aspindle non-rotatingly journalled in said cap, said bearing having acircular flange, a reel ball-bearingly mounted upon said flange,conductors wound on said reel and means for making electrical contactbetween the stationary conductor and the conductors wound on the reel.

INA LETITIA BETTINGER.

prising an upright standard having at one side thereof a laterallyextending arm, said arm being provided with a cap which extends in asubstantially vertical plane, the concave side of said cap beingdirected t0- ward the midwidth of said standard, said cap having acentral bore extending into the concave side thereof, an upright bearingdisc having a laterally extending spindle, said spindle being securedwithin said bore, said bearing disc having a peripheral chamfertherearound, a sheave adapted to have an electric cord woundthereon,-said sheave having an internal bearing chamfer ball-bearinglyrelated to the rst recited chamfer, a

retracting coil spring acting between said bearing and sheave to retractsaid sheave after unwinding of the cord, a pair of concentric circuitmaking rings mounted in an insulated relation to said sheave, brushelements carried by the aforementioned brackets to cooperate with saidconcentric rings and a dual' electric cord, the conductors of which areoperatively related to said rings.

2. In a device of the class described, an implement including a baseprovided with a longitudinal Vgroove extending thereunder, the vertex ofwhich groove is rounded for applying the device to a circular object,clamping means associated with said base portion adapted for attachingit to a support, means upstanding from said base, and a bracketed armextend-ing from said upstanding means, a stationary conductor detachablyapplied thereto, said arm having formed therewith a circular cap, abearing containing a spindle non-rotatingly journalled in said cap, saidbearing havlng a cir` cular iiange, a sheave ball-'bearingly mountedupon said iiange, conductors wound on said sheave, and means for makingelectrical contact between the stationary conductor and the conductorswound on the sheave.

3. In a device of the class described, an implement including a baserovided with a longitudinal V-groove exten ing thereunder, the vertexof' which groove is rounded for applying the device tov a circularob'ect, clamping means associated with said ase portion adapted forattaching it to a support, means upst'anding from said base, and abracketed arml extending from said upstand-

